There are bands that seem to take themselves too seriously. Then there are bands that seem to spend too much time clowning around. And somewhere between those extremes -- between the Creeds and Red Hot Chili Peppers of the world, if you will -- you'll find Incubus, a band that seek to have it both ways: They want to have their cred and rock out, too.

That, near as we can tell, is the plan on their fifth full-length A Crow Left of the Murder, on which the Cali quintet try to reconcile the rap-metal leanings of their early days with the groovy hip-pop that more recently made them famous. And here's the good news: For the most part, they succeed.

From the swaggering funk-metal and sneering punk vocals of kickoff track Megalomaniac and the angular synth-squiggle syncopation of Pistola to the spiky propulsion of Priceless and the 6/4 neo-blues shuffle of Zee Deveel, this 14-cut disc offers a surprisingly solid hour of modern rock that delivers hooks without sacrificing heaviness (and vice versa).

It isn't flawless, mostly due to a few too many jangly midtempo ballads -- by the time Brandon Boyd croons, "Swear I've heard this song before," you'll know just what he means.

Even so, thanks to a sound that crosses a heavier, funkier Pearl Jam with a less pretentious Our Lady Peace, A Crow Left of the Murder lets Incubus fans enjoy the best of both worlds.

Track Listing
1. Megalomaniac
2. A Crow Left of the Murder
3. Agoraphobia
4. Talk Show on Mute
5. Beware! Criminal
6. Sick Sad Little World
7. Pistola
8. Southern Girl
9. Priceless
10. Zee Deveel
11. Made for TV Movie
12. Smile Lines
13. Here in My Room
14. Leech